Hatboro-Horsham enjoys a windy win over North Penn

March 25, 2022

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TOWAMENCIN — Hatboro-Horsham’s fourth-quarter thrust provided victory on a cold and blustery Opening Day on the turf at North Penn.

“We came out hot,” said the Hatters’ Alex Cerminara of the final 12 minutes. “Once we get hot, we’re on. There’s no turning back from there.”

The Mad Hatters broke open what had been a back-and-forth contest the entire windy afternoon, then held off a North Penn rally in the final minutes for a 9-8 win in a Suburban One League non-division game at NP.

Alex Cerminara scored five goals to lead Hatboro-Horsham past North Penn on Friday, March 25, 2022. Kev Hunter, MediaNews.

“It feels really good. All the work we put in during the offseason really paid off,” Cerminara said of the opener. “Everyone did what they needed to do and we got it done.”

In a matchup of two squads looking to take that next step – both finished just below .500 a season ago, the Hatters got five goals from Cerminara and one each from several others to start the season 1-0.

Hatboro-Horsham huddles after its win over North Penn on Friday, March 25, 2022. Kev Hunter, MediaNews.

“It feels good to be back. I expect big things from Hatboro-Horsham this year and I’m excited,” said Cerminara.

The two teams were tied 2-2 after one quarter, deadlocked at four apiece at the break, and then the Hatters took a 7-6 lead into the fourth that would grow to 9-6.

The Knights, led by Caleb Moister’s hat trick, got to within 9-8 but the Hatters got control of the ball with a minute to play and never lost it.

Hatboro’s offense clicked for five second-half goals. Min Lee, Sam Fink, David Benjamin and Jaden Mariano all scored and all contributed to the offense’s flow.

Said Cerminara: “We’ve been putting in the work and it’s showing up on the field.”

The Knights got a pair of goals each from Jake Dolan and Connor Toussaint as well as a tremendous performance on faceoffs by freshman Luigi Cardone.

Hatboro-Horsham and North Penn scramble for a loose ball during their game on Friday, March 25, 2022. Kev Hunter, MediaNews.

“It was a fun game. The game of lacrosse is all about momentum. And in a game like this, it’s a difference of ground balls,” Knights coach Rick Smith said. “Whoever had the ball at the end of the game won the game.

“I think that there’s a lot of things we can build off of. There are a lot of things defensively that we can do. We have a tough Owen J. Roberts team coming up on Wednesday and we’re gonna get back to practice and continue to get better. We’ll watch film and improve as a team.”